In Fate's Hands
by starlightened
Summary: Sequel to Dearly Beloved. Vilixa is the fourteenth member of Organization XIII, but doesn't feel as if she truly belongs. She searches for the truth and the life she once had. Riku x OC
1. A New Beginning

**Oh, I just had to post this. It's Christmas time and I have up to Chapter 7 done. Why not?**

**So here's the sequel! If you haven't read Dearly Beloved yet, then go do it now. This is set during 358/2 Days, so if you haven't played the game, there may or may not be a few spoilers. And if you have, then know this: In this story, Xion does not exist. Putting her in would just complicate things a whole lot and I don't want to get into that. My OC will be replacing her, and so I don't want to hear a lot of talk about how inaccurate it is to the game. I've only played it and beaten it once, and I'm just trying to get the gist of it in here. Okay? Okay. Awesome!**

**PS. This is still a Riku X OC story, but he doesn't come in 'til a lot later. Right now it's more of a friendship story between Livia X Axel X Roxas. You'll understand, I'm sure. Read on, I hope you enjoy it! This one's more like a prelude into the story, if you're wondering why it's so short.**

**Don't forget to review!**

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Outside the gate of a tall, abandoned mansion stood a girl with flaming red hair that fell past her shoulders and in front of her clear, violet eyes. The golden rays of the setting sun cast a glow on her pale skin and the wind flowed in a gentle breeze around her. She stood, eyes vacant, something missing. She couldn't quite pinpoint it, nor could she formulate the words in her mind to ask herself why.

She heard footsteps approaching and her eyes slowly moved from their initial position from the ground to the figure standing before her. A tall, cloaked man towered above, staring down at her from the darkness of his hood. He seemed to be examining her and she didn't budge an inch.

Raising his arms, he lowered his hood to reveal a man with tanned skin and long, silver hair. His cat-like yellow eyes peered down at her and he smiled in a discomforting way.

"Do you know why you are here?" his deep voice rang in her ears.

She shook her head slightly.

"I can give you purpose," he continued. He waved his hand in the air and a series of letters appeared before them. They were translucent--just barely visible. They read:

**L I V I A**

He waved his hand again and a large X appeared with the jumble of letters. Before her eyes, the letters began to rearrange themselves until they finally settled into one position.

**V I L I X A**

"Vilixa," the man said, letting the name ring in the air as the letters vanished. "This is your new name. Your new identity. Come, join the Organization and find true power."

He raised his hand in the air and summoned a portal of swirling black smoke. The girl, now known as Vilixa, turned and shuffled towards it, not knowing what rested on the other side. Frankly, she didn't care.

She stepped in, followed behind by the man with the bizarre yellow eyes. Her feet rested on solid pavement and the portal closed behind them. She felt small droplets of water falling on her nose and looked up at the sky.

It was a pitch black moonless sky, and the rain fell continuously, clattering against the metal grates along the ground. The man prodded her slightly, commanding her to move. She kept walking and looked up to see a huge white and gray castle floating in mid-air not too far off.

"That will be your new home," the man said to her, as if he was reading her mind. "The Castle that Never Was."

She turned to the man and with a hoarse voice, she finally managed to ask, "Who...who..."

"I," the man responded, "am the creator of the Organization. Xemnas."

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**Review please!**


	2. First Mission

**Yay! Chapter 2. Two more days 'til Christmas. I'm pretty pumped.  
**

**Thank you to NinjaSheik for reviewing and Bitja and Kanika Meskhenet for adding this to their favourites.**

**Keep reviewing please! Are you liking the sequel so far?**

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"Stupid meetings," growled a tall man with an explosion of firey red hair and alarmingly green eyes to himself as he made his way down the blindingly white hallways of the Castle that Never Was. "I've got better things to do then to hear Xemnas talk for an hour straight."

He made his way to the meeting room and teleported himself onto his designated chair. Leaning back casually, he looked around at the eleven others that were there as well, waiting for their leader to arrive with the special news that he had promised them.

At last, a portal opened at the highest chair and Xemnas appeared on his throne, looking down at the rest of the Organization with a strange twinkle in his eye. "My fellow Organization members," his voice echoed throughout the painfully white room. "I have come here to present to you today the newest member of our clan. Vilixa--Number XIV."

The cloaked girl came forward into the center of the room, feeling the eyes of the other Organization members staring down at her. She squirmed slightly under the scrutiny of their gaze, but kept her face hidden in the darkness of her hood. She heard Xemnas explain something that she didn't quite understand, and before she knew it, they were dismissed.

Vilixa walked out of the meeting room and sauntered down the hallway, not really knowing where to go. The castle was immense and she could already feel that the other members hadn't taken a quick liking to her at all.

Staring down at the ground as she walked, Vilixa didn't see the blond boy who seemed to be about her age talking to the red-headed man and bumped directly into him, stumbling back and landing on her rear. She winced a bit, but stood once again.

"Are you okay?" the blond asked. Vilixa stared at him, something familiar about his face sparking something in her mind. Perhaps it was the clear blue eyes or the lopsided grin that he was sending her way. Although she couldn't place it, she knew that she had seen him somewhere before.

The redhead waved a hand in front of her face. "Do you not talk or something?" he chuckled. "Oh, man. We've got ourselves another zombie. Reminds me of how you were when you first joined, Roxas."

"Whatever, Axel," the blond, Roxas, huffed. "What was your name again?"

Vilixa wanted to speak, but her mouth felt like it had been sewn shut. She tried to form words, but they wouldn't come.

"Well, I have a mission to go on today," Axel yawned. "Some recon stuff. Saix has me doing all the boring missions that no one else but Demyx wants. And he won't give them to Demyx because he's just terrible. So I'm headin' out, catch you two later!" He summoned a portal and then he was gone.

Vilixa had processed that whole speech as only a jumble of incoherent words and stared at the spot where Axel previously stood. Roxas shuffled around from foot to foot awkwardly and then scratched at the back of his head.

"Have you been assigned a mission yet?" he asked, trying to spark a conversation. His attempt proved futile as Vilixa just stared at him beneath her hood. "Are...you going to take that off your head anytime soon?" he joked. "I can't exactly see your face."

She hesitated momentarily, but then finally lowered her hood so it fell against her shoulders and her long, red hair came tumbling down. Her violet eyes looked deep into Roxas' and he felt something as he gazed back at her...familiarity. Friendship. _Home_.

"This is weird," he mumbled. "Nobodies aren't supposed to be able to feel...well, anything. So why is it that when I see you, I'm reminded of something else? Something...I can't quite put my finger on, but it's there, for sure. Almost like a sense of belonging..." He put his finger on his chin and tapped it for a few seconds before laughing a bit. "Sorry, I must sound crazy, just babbling to myself. But hey, if you haven't been assigned a mission yet, I'm sure Saix won't mind if you come with me on mine."

There was something strange about that boy that Vilixa found somewhat amusing and so she nodded her head in agreement. Roxas opened a portal with his hand and ushered her to walk through. She did so, and soon found herself in a little town that seemed to cast a golden glow. Her eyes darted around, but she found that the town was mostly deserted.

Roxas appeared behind her. "Come on," he coaxed. "Let's go find some Heartless."

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**Reviews are nice :)**


	3. Ice Cream

**It's Christmas Eve! Here's Chapter 3 to tide you over for today. I've got lots of stuff I have to do in preparation for Christmas. I'm a little stressed but it's all going to be worth it in the end, I'm sure.**

**Anyway, enjoy, I own nothing except my OC!  
**

**PS. My list of thank you's: To pottergurl16, Island-style-girl, Bitja and AccessBlade for adding this to their favourites and all those people, PLUS Kanika Meskhenet for reviewing. Keep them coming, I'd love to know what you think of the sequel!**

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The two had been wandering around the town for a little while, no Heartless appearing anywhere in sight. Roxas huffed, clearly bored, and Vilixa followed slightly behind, feeling strangely calm and at peace with Roxas walking alongside her. She liked how while he didn't talk much, he spoke often enough to reassure her that her existence had been acknowledged.

"This place is called Twilight Town," he explained. "When I first started in the Organization, Saix had me come here a lot. Lots of Heartless...well, usually, and I had to do a recon mission with Vexen. Boring, if you ask me."

Vilixa just nodded.

They marched on towards the Tram Common when out of nowhere, several Heartless appeared. Roxas summoned his Keyblade and prepared himself for battle. He wasn't expecting much from Vilixa since she was new to the Organization and still unaware of her powers. He lunged at the Heartless and eliminated them with a single swing of his weapon. Looking back at Vilixa though, his jaw dropped.

She stood there with her own Keyblade loosely held in her hand, unsure of what to do with it. It was the colour of the ocean, long and slender, and shaped like a crashing wave at the very end.

"How..." Roxas sputtered. "You have a Keyblade too?"

Vilixa just looked back at Roxas, a mix of fear and confusion on her face. She didn't know what it meant to carry a Keyblade, but the prospects of it seemed somehow frightening to her. She immediately made the weapon disappear from her hands and collapsed to the ground, hugging her knees to her chest.

"Hey," Roxas ran over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay? What happened?"

She just looked into his eyes. She didn't have an answer for him. She stared back down at the ground, ashamed at how pathetic she must've seemed.

"Come on," he prodded. "This mission's done. We were just supposed to eliminate some Heartless. Let's go get ice cream and meet Axel at the clock tower."

Later, the two found themselves sitting on the clock tower's ledge, holding sea-salt ice cream in their hands. Roxas munched on his happily, but Vilixa just stared at hers as it began to melt in her grasp.

"Take a bite," Roxas encouraged. "It's really good."

Reluctantly, she took a bite. At first it was really salty, but then it was sweet. It was a delicious combination of both tastes that made Vilixa give Roxas a small smile. He smiled back and went on eating his ice cream.

The two of them heard the sound of a portal opening behind them and turned to see Axel approaching with his own bar of the blue ice cream. He plopped down next to Roxas and started munching away. "How was today's mission? Is Vilixa fitting in alright?"

"She's fine," Roxas answered for her. "She has a Keyblade too."

Axel's eyes widened. "Seriously? That's awesome news!"

"But," Roxas interrupted. "I don't know if she knows how to use it. Or even if she wants to fight with it at all...she seems sort of afraid of it."

Axel tapped a finger to his chin. "How can someone who wields a Keyblade be afraid of battle?"

Roxas just shrugged. "She's a bit of a strange girl, but she's my friend. I'm sure that we'll figure it out eventually. Hopefully when she's able to start talking."

Axel nodded and bit into his ice cream again. Vilixa sat there awkwardly, nibbling on hers as well, wondering if the two of them had realized that she was sitting next to them and that she could hear everything they were saying.

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**Like? Dislike? Review! ^^**

**PS. Sorry for how short this one is.**


	4. First Words

**First off, MERRY CHRISTMAS! 2010 approaches.**

**Thank you to pottergurl16 and Island-style-girl for being my most consistent readers/reviewers. My love goes out to you.**

**I have up to chapter 11 done, and I'm really liking this story a lot more than Dearly Beloved, in all honesty. More freedom and all that jazz. Anyway, I hope you like this one...I do, not too sure why.**

**Read and review please!**

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Vilixa laid awake on her bed, staring outside at the heart-shaped moon that glowed ominously in the distance. She managed to tear her eyes away and rise from the bed, untangling the knots that had formed in her hair. She straightened out her cloak and walked to the Gray Room where Axel and Roxas were chatting animatedly.

"Good...morning," her voice peeped quietly. Both Axel and Roxas' eyes flew to her in shock.

"Hey, first words!" Axel mused. "How was your mission yesterday with the squirt over here?"

"It was okay," she managed. "Thanks for the ice cream."

"No problem," Roxas grinned. "Hey, Axel and I have a mission together today. Wanna come? I don't think Saix is going to assign you to anything, I'm pretty sure all the missions have been taken up." Vilixa gave a nod. "Okay, let's go then!"

The three opened a portal and walked through to reveal Twilight Town again. Vilixa wondered to herself what they were doing in the same place that they had been before, but decided against asking.

They walked along a narrow alley and Vilixa could feel someone's eyes on her. She glanced over at Axel, who was staring at her quite obviously with a curious look on his face. Even though he knew she was watching him, his eyes didn't move. His gaze made her uncomfortable, so she shuffled next to Roxas to block his eyes from her view.

"There's supposed to be a giant Heartless here somewhere," Roxas told her. "We just have to find the target and eliminate it. Shouldn't be too difficult. Maybe you can use your Keyblade today."

Vilixa bit her lip. "I...don't know if...I can."

Axel's eyebrow raised slightly. "Why not?"

She just shrugged, not really wanting to say more. Roxas let the subject drop, but something about her response had bothered Axel. She had a Keyblade, so why wouldn't she use it?

The rest of the walk was relatively silent until they neared the Sandlot. There was some commotion and they spotted a giant Heartless dawned in dark gray and red armor, swinging a flaming sword around every which way. Axel huffed.

"It's using my element," he said, almost in a whiny voice. "Where's the fun there?"

Roxas just charged at the Heartless, shooting out bursts of ice from the tip of his Keyblade at the enormous creature. Vilixa stood there, her Keyblade dangling loosely from her fingers, staring at the Heartless. Axel threw his chakrams at it and ran over to her.

"What are you doing? Move! Attack! Do something!" he tried to nudge her, but she wouldn't move.

"Why..." she mumbled, "Why...fight?"

Axel tried to read the look in her eyes, but was unable to. Instead, he picked her up bridal style and moved her away so she wouldn't get hit. "Well, if you're not gonna fight, then might as well stay somewhere safe," he muttered before dropping her off near the entrace to the Tram Common and rushing back to help Roxas.

Vilixa stood there with her Keyblade and sighed. She couldn't help but feel as if the weapon she had wasn't a weapon at all. It didn't seem like anything that was made for destruction. When she looked at it, she felt serene and safe--not like Roxas' Keyblade, which reminded her of war and struggle.

She looked up from her Keyblade to see Roxas giving the final blow to the Heartless' head, causing it to fall and disappear into nothing, its heart floating into the air before disappearing as well. Vilixa stared at the heart and her hand subconsciously flew up to her chest. Her eyes widened slightly as she felt no heartbeat against her gloved palm.

"What?" Axel sighed as he approached the seemingly frightened girl. "You're surprised? You're a Nobody. Nobodies don't have hearts."

"N-Nobody..." she repeated. "Why?"

"Nobodies are beings that aren't really meant to exist," Axel explained. "You see, when a person loses their heart to the Heartless, their bodies become empty shells. If people's hearts are strong enough, their shells assume human form, like all of Organization XIII."

Vilixa stared up at him, confused. "Can...I get it back?"

"What?" Axel scoffed. "Your heart? Yeah, yeah, we're working on that. Ever heard of a thing called Kingdom Hearts?"

She shook her head.

"It's that heart-shaped moon," Roxas explained. "Xemnas' big plan."

"Roxas, here," Axel continued, smacking the blond haired boy on the back, "collects hearts using the Keyblade and they go straight to Kingdom Hearts. When it's completed, we will all, hopefully, have our hearts restored so that we can become whole. And since you have a Keyblade as well, you should be able to collect hearts and make this whole process go by faster."

Vilixa stared at her Keyblade. "But...why?" she asked again.

"Geez, you ask a lot of questions," Axel mumbled, scratching the back of his head. "I'll explain some other time. Come on, let's go get some ice cream."

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**It's Christmas. Reviews would be the perfect present :)**


	5. Questions

**How was everyone's Christmas? I hope Santa came by and got you all sorts of awesome things.**

**Thank you to pottergurl16, Island-style-girl and NinjaSheik for reviewing! This one's a bit short, so I apologize. I'm working on Chapter 13 right now, but I have a lot of work to catch up on, so I don't know when I'll have time to post it.**

**Reviews might help, wink wink.**

**Also, who else has seen Avatar? Is it possible for a movie to be TOO good? Answer me this.**

**Oh yeah, and enjoy this chapter :) Remember, review! I only own my OC.**

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A few weeks had passed and Vilixa was beginning to talk a lot more. She could actually hold a conversation, and Saix had started assigning her real missions to go on. The entire Organization knew that she had a Keyblade in her possession, but she still barely used it. Xemnas, of course, was enraged by this, since he wanted both her and Roxas to collect hearts at a quicker pace.

Vilixa, though, didn't care much for what Xemnas thought. She'd bow her head before him and nod at whatever he had to say, but as soon as she would leave the meeting room, she would forget everything he had said completely and do whatever she felt was right.

She didn't understand why she didn't have a heart, still, but she felt as if she had one anyway. It was a difficult feeling to explain, but whenever she was with Roxas and Axel, she felt almost a flutter within her chest. Perhaps it was the closest thing she would ever feel to having a heart.

She recalled one day when she, Roxas and Axel sat on the ledge of the old clock tower with their ice cream bars, and she had asked Axel a question.

"Axel," she began, "You said that when people get their hearts taken away, they become Nobodies. But what happens to the rest?"

Axel pondered for a second. "Well, the hearts get swallowed by the Heartless, which is why you and Roxas here need to keep eliminating them," he answered.

"Can a Heartless change back into a person?" she asked meekly.

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Well, I guess if the person is saved in time, then maybe. I guess it'd have to be some kind of real miracle for anyone to be saved from being a Heartless. And plus, I'm guessing that the Heartless the person had become would have to survive in order for it to be restored."

Vilixa bit her lip and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Did your Heartless get destroyed, Axel?"

He shrugged. "Most likely. Yours probably did too. But when Kingdom Hearts is complete, we'll be able to get our hearts back."

"We'll be like the people we were before?" she asked.

He just shrugged. "I guess so. Personally, I have no idea. We'll just have to keep fighting to find out."

A silence set between the three of them until Vilixa decided to ask another question. "What about Roxas?"

Roxas looked over at her. "What about me?"

"Was your Heartless destroyed?" she wondered.

Axel smirked. "This one," he declared, patting Roxas on the back, "is complicated and is a story that I'll have to tell you another day."

And that was that.

Vilixa sat in the Gray Room next to Demyx, a man seemingly the same age as Axel with a blond mullet and a sitar in his hands. He was one of the only ones who had also befriended her, since none of the other Organization members would really even look at her. She sat with her eyes closed, listening to the sound of his playing. It reminded her of the beach, of the waves crashing against the shore...

"Hey, are you okay?" she heard Demyx ask. She looked over at him to see his eyes concerned.

"Yeah...why?"

He shrugged, going back to playing. "I dunno. You seemed kind of out of it."

She settled into the couch comfortably before noticing how empty the room was. "Demyx?"

"Hm?"

"Where is everyone?" she asked, looking around. "This place is deserted."

"Oh, there's this new mission," he explained. "Xemnas formed some kind of elite team out of the Organization members and sent them off to a place called Castle Oblivion. Sort of top secret. I don't really know much about it...I'm just glad they didn't send me. Sounds a bit like a suicide mission."

"What?" she hissed. "A suicide mission? Who's at the castle?"

Demyx set his sitar down and counted off on his fingers. "Let's see...Marluxia, since he's in charge, Larxene, Vexen, Zexion, Lexaeus..." He thought for a second and said, "Oh yeah, and Axel."

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	6. The Cave of Wonders

**Hello, my lovely readers. Here's chapter 6! My cousin's wedding ceremony is tonight so I'm posting this before I go.**

**Thank you to pottergurl16, Island-style-girl and NinjaSheik for reviewing! Keep 'em coming, please and thanks :)**

**It'd be nice to know if anyone else likes this story as much as my usual three, lol.**

**Anyway, read and review. And most importantly, enjoy!**

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Vilixa ran to Roxas' room where he was lying face-up on his bed. His eyes were open, and he was just laying there, staring at the plain, white ceiling. On his face was a look of sullen defeat.

"Roxas," Vilixa urged, "Get out of bed, we have to go to that Castle Oblivion place to go and save Axel!"

Roxas sat up, but shook his head. "We can't do that," he answered sadly. "Do you know how mad Saix will be if we disobey Xemnas' orders? Or how mad Xemnas will be if he finds out? He'll destroy us. We just have to hope that Axel will come back safe."

"But Roxas, he's your friend, isn't he?" she asked quietly, sitting next to him on the bed.

"You know that he is."

Vilixa placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Then why aren't we going to at least try to help him?"

Roxas looked up at her. "I asked him the same question before he left," he sighed. "I asked him why he was leaving...he said he didn't want to go, but he always follows orders. And so he has to. But I trust Axel. He'll be alright. He's tough. He'll be back, just wait and see."

Vilixa sighed and left the room, wondering if Roxas was really trying to convince her, or convince himself.

"Vilixa," Saix beckoned from the Gray Room. She walked back in to find him standing in his usual place, arms folded over his chest. "I have a new mission for you today. And for this, you will need to use your Keyblade."

She inhaled shakily, but finally agreed. "Alright."

"Good," he said monotonously. "Go to Agrabah. This is a solo mission, so that means I need to see results or else you will be punished," he warned. "Collect hearts. Now depart."

Vilixa opened a portal and stepped through. She had only been to Agrabah once before, and that was with Xigbar. She still wasn't too familiar with her surroundings, but she wandered along the sandy grounds in any case.

She had been told that there was a huge Heartless problem in Agrabah and that a sandstorm had come and wiped out most of the city. Construction was going on all around her, giant boxes and beams strewn about in a desperate attempt to quickly repair the city walls.

She was walking past a small market when she heard a sound. She turned quickly to see a large, fat cat walking about in a blue and red armored suit. She knew for a fact that he didn't belong in Agrabah, so she decided to investigate. He was walking around the area in circles, mumbling to himself about some sort of secret entrance. Finally, he found a place in one of the walls and barrelled it with his fists until he smashed an entryway into a secret tunnel.

Looking around, the giant cat waddled inside, chuckling to himself. Vilixa peered over at the entrance and decided to follow him further. She remembered that she had a mission to accomplish, but doing the exact opposite couldn't hurt, could it?

The tunnel was long and winding. Soon though, she found herself out of the city and before the giant head of a lion made of sand. Its mouth was agape and she could see a glimmer of light coming from the back of its throat.

"What is this?" she whispered to herself. She almost leapt out of her skin when a booming voice answered her.

"I am the Cave of Wonders," the lion's head bellowed. "Enter...if you dare."

She gulped, but climbed up to the lion's lower lip and walked along the tongue to the stairs at the back of the throat. She finally made it into the Cave of Wonders and saw a vast hall that looked like parts of it had been smashed to pieces. She was about to head into one of the cave's many corridors when she heard her name being called.

"Vilixa?"

She looked around to see Roxas approaching her.

"Roxas? What are you doing here?"

"Saix sent me on a recon mission of this place," he answered. "What are you doing here?"

"Collecting hearts," she replied. Roxas gave her a puzzled look.

"Well, have you collected any yet?" he asked, almost amused. She shook her head as if it was obvious.

"I don't even have my Keyblade out."

Roxas chuckled. "Alright, tell you what," he said. "I'll help you with your mission if you help me with mine. Deal?"

She smiled at her friend and answered, "Deal."

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	7. Kingdom Hearts

**Here I am with another update! I have a lot of homework to finish before my Christmas Break ends and so I'm posting as much as I can before school starts up again. Lots of art projects to finish...whew.**

**Thank you to pottergurl16, NinjaSheik and Xynlake No. XV for reviewing chapter 6!**

**Remember, reviews are much appreciated. Keep 'em coming if you want another update ready and waiting tomorrow morning. :)**

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Not too much later, the mission was completed and the two friends were sitting at the ledge of the clock tower in Twilight Town with their sea-salt ice cream in hand. It had become tradition for the three of them--Axel included--to sit down after work and just relax as the sun went down.

Lately though, it seemed as if either it was only Roxas and Vilixa, Axel and Roxas, Vilixa and Axel, or just one of the three on their own. It was a rare treat when all three of them could sit together and chat, but with Axel in Castle Oblivion, both Vilixa and Roxas were fearing the worst.

"I hope he's okay," Vilixa sighed. "What'll we do without Axel?"

"Hey," Roxas shrugged. "I'm positive that Axel will be just fine. We've been over this, remember? He's the strong one."

Vilixa just nodded and nibbled on her ice cream.

After a few seconds, Roxas spoke. "Hey, can I ask you a question?"

"Um," Vilixa responded unsurely, "I guess so."

"Why don't you use your Keyblade?" he asked. "I mean, if you have it, then you must be some kind of warrior, right? Or at least, you must've been back when you were whole."

Vilixa's red hair fell over her eyes and she let out a small sigh. "I don't think I was like that when I had a heart," she said truthfully. "I think...maybe that this Keyblade has a different purpose than yours does. I mean, if they were meant to do the same thing, then why don't they look the same?"

Roxas thought to himself for a moment. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But do you think you can collect hearts with that Keyblade? Because if you can, then you might as well, right?"

"But..." Vilixa responded, "I don't like the idea of resorting to violence. If you think about it, Roxas, every Heartless that we destroy, we release the heart of someone who was taken over by the darkness. With every heart lost, that's a life lost that we're trying to use selfishly for our own benefit. I don't like the feeling of being incomplete, but I don't want to get my heart back if it means wiping out thousands of lives to do it."

"I..." Roxas mumbled, "I never thought of it that way." He sighed and said, "But most of the people who lose their hearts to the Heartless just become dusks anyway. Do you really think that those Nobodies could turn back into real people?"

Vilixa bit into her ice cream again and shrugged her shoulders. "I honestly don't know. I don't know a lot of things, Roxas. But I do know one thing...if there is a way that we can get our hearts back without having to jeopardize the hearts of so many others, I'm going to find it."

She stood up to leave and began to walk away. Roxas called out to her, "But Vilixa, Xemnas says that--"

"I don't trust him," Vilixa said hastily, turning to the blond. "I don't know what he's planning, or even if this Kingdom Hearts thing is real or not, but I know that he's up to no good. I-I don't even know if this Organization is set out to do good or evil or not."

"Hey," Roxas stood up, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Everything we do benefits the Organization, and all we want is our hearts back. How is that a bad thing?"

Vilixa's shoulders slumped, feeling a bit dejected. "I don't know," she answered truthfully. "But I don't have a good feeling about this whole Kingdom Hearts thing."

She opened a portal with her hand and walked through, returning back to the Gray Room. Saix stood by the tall, glass windows that overlooked the rest of the castle and turned when he saw Vilixa leaving to return to her bedroom.

"How did you manage on your mission?" he called as she was walking away.

She bit her lip and lied, "It was just fine."

"Good," Saix answered. "I'll have more missions ready for you tomorrow. Now that you and Roxas have realized the full potential of your Keyblades, we can collect hearts at a doubled rate just as we had intended."

Vilixa nodded weakly and scurried away to her room. When she got there, she slammed the door and leaned her back against it, staring out at the heart-shaped moon that hung outside her window. Almost glaring at it, she summoned her Keyblade in her hands. The more she examined it, the more serene and delicate it seemed.

"You were never meant for destruction," she spoke, making it disappear again. She looked back up at the moon and sighed. "Kingdom Hearts," she muttered. "So maybe it'll get our hearts back...but at what cost?"

She laid down on her bed and pulled the dull gray covers up to her chin. Her eyelids felt heavy and drooped to a close, her mind slowly drifting into a deep sleep.

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	8. Dreams

**Here's chapter 8! Can you believe it's almost 2010? Also, does anyone on here listen to the band Avenged Sevenfold? Their drummer, the Rev, died last night. Slap to the face, completely. So many deaths in 2009--I can only hope that 2010 will be better.**

**Thank you to pottergurl16, Island-style-girl, NinjaSheik and Xynlake No. XV for reviewing the last one. I hope you like this one, too. :) Things start to get interesting!**

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_A boy with long, silver hair darted through the never-ending white hallways, his footsteps echoing back off the walls. His turquoise eyes scanned each room, searching fervently for the man that had caused him so much pain and anguish._

_"I know you're here, Ansem," he growled. "Show yourself!"_

_A tall man with dark skin and glowing yellow eyes appeared before the boy, arms folded over his chest. "Ah, it's you," he smiled, his voice ringing in his ears. "Come back to the darkness. You are nothing without it. It is the only way you will ever gain true power."_

_"I don't think so," he countered. "I gave up my heart to the darkness, and Sora still beat me."_

_"Your heart has sunk in too deep to back out now," Ansem chortled. "It is deep within your very soul. A darkness that will never go away...come, and together we will rule over the darkness and conquer all."_

_"Not a chance," the boy declared. "I can't stand your foul stench!"_

_A weapon materialized in the boy's hands and he lunged at the man, and the battle began._

Vilixa shot out of bed in a cold sweat. Her breathing was ragged, and her hand flew up to her forehead to wipe the moisture from her brow. Taking a moment to calm herself, she asked aloud, "...Who...who was that boy?"

She stood, wiping the sleep from her eyes and trying to steady the slight quiver in her knees. Hobbling to the Gray Room, she sat down on one of the couches and closed her eyes momentarily. When they reopened, she saw Roxas' large, curious blue eyes examining her quite closely.

"Can I help you, Roxas?" she asked her friend.

"Were you taking a nap?" he questioned. "Because that's what your bed is for."

She laughed a little and shook her head. "No...I just had a really weird dream."

"Tell me about it," he said cheerfully. "We have a mission to go on together. We're going to someplace called Neverland."

Soon, they were ready to depart. Roxas opened a portal and they stepped through. Almost instantly, the smell of the fresh ocean breeze hit Vilixa's nostrils and caused her to smile. They were on a small island surrounded by even smaller masses of land surrounded by the ocean on all sides. Not too far off in the distance was a large ship, the Jolly Roger decorating its flag pole.

"What's the mission?" Vilixa asked, tearing her eyes away from the water that danced around the island, almost tauntingly.

"We have to eliminate a giant Heartless," he answered, pointing to a large, looming figure flying in the distance. "I'm guessing...it's that big thing."

Vilixa's eyebrows flew up. "How are we supposed to get all the way up there? We can't fly."

At that instant, a golden sparkle caught her eye. She looked to her side to find a small woman, about the size of her palm, hovering beside her. She wore an all-green outfit and her blond hair was tied up on the top of her head in a small bun. She tugged on the sleeve of Vilixa's cloak and urgently pointed to the ship.

"Who...are you?" she asked the small pixie curiously. She just continued to tug on her arm, hoping that the Nobody would understand her wishes. "You want me to go to the ship?"

She received a nod.

"I can't do that right now, I'm on a mission," she tried to reason. The fairy huffed and kept on tugging. "Hey, hey," she said, "Alright, I'll take a look if I have time."

"What's she doing?" Roxas noticed as the fairy started flying around in circles surrounding them, golden dust washing over them like a light drizzle. After a few seconds, Vilixa heard Roxas cry out, "You're...you're flying!"

She looked down to see herself hovering about three feet off the ground. Looking back at Roxas, she declared, "You are too!"

The two friends gaped at each other for another few seconds before they realized that the pixie dust that the little fairy had sprinkled on them had caused them to gain the ability to fly. They were overjoyed, until they remembered that giant Heartless that needed to be dealt with.

"I can handle this guy on my own," Roxas said, "but it would be nice if you could come and back me up a bit." He flashed a cheesy smile her way. Vilixa agreed and they flew towards the giant Heartless, ready for battle.

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	9. Secrets

**'Ello, darlings. I saw Avatar for the second time this week. A bit obsessed with that movie at the moment...forgive me. Anyway, thank you to pottergurl16, Island-style-girl and DarkFlame Alchemist for reviewing chapter 8!**

**Reviews for this one would be great :) Things get interesting. Muahahha.**

**So yeah....review please ^_^**

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Three weeks had passed since Vilixa and Roxas had battled the giant Heartless in Neverland, and it had been just as long since the two had seen their third red-headed companion. Vilixa sat in her room, staring at the heart-shaped moon that seemed to have been engorged since she had last laid eyes on it.

Every night since then, she had been having dreams about that silver-haired boy with the piercing turquoise eyes. She told Roxas about her dreams, and she recalled what he had said.

"Maybe you knew him when you had a heart," he reasoned. "That would make sense."

Vilixa shrugged and bit her lip. "But Roxas, these dreams...they feel so real. Everything about them feels like something happening now. I need to find out who this boy is, or I'll never be able to get a decent night's sleep."

She walked into the Gray Room and sat next to Demyx on the couch. He strummed his sitar lightly as he usually did, and spoke up when he saw her approach.

"You know," he said, "Pretty much everyone who was in Castle Oblivion has been eliminated."

Vilixa's eyes bugged out of her head. "What?"

"Yeah, pretty much everyone's gone," he huffed, "which means more work for us. We're gonna have to take up their missions in order to keep up with this ridiculous work flow. Man, I'm not made for combat..."

Vilixa sprang up from her seat and ran to go find Roxas. Her feet pounded against the cold, hard floor as she ran all the way to Roxas' room. She knocked on the door feverishly, but he wasn't inside. Panicked, she ran back to the Gray Room and stopped dead in her tracks at what she saw.

Or, rather, _who_.

It was Axel.

"A-Axel?" she stuttered as he turned to her with a cocky grin. "You're alive?"

"Of course," he tutted. "Did you really think you guys could get rid of me so easily? I'm the only one who made it out of Castle Oblivion in one piece."

He jumped slightly and was taken aback as soon as he felt Vilixa's arms wrap around his torso in a tight hug. Unsure of what exactly he should do, he wrapped his arms around her small frame as well and patted her on the back. He was surprised to find that she was shaking ever so slightly.

"Hey," he said gently, "I'm here now, right? I'm fine, don't worry..."

Vilixa felt as if she was trying to cry, but no tears would come. She just shook uncontrollably, clutching onto Axel for dear life. "Don't ever do that to us again," she warned in a small voice. Axel just let out a laugh and let the girl go. "Promise me," she said sternly, looking him in the eye.

He sighed with a smile and said, "I promise."

"Does Roxas know you're back?" she asked, looking around to find the third member of their party nowhere to be found.

"Yeah, he left for his mission already," Axel answered. "Saix sent him to collect more hearts. What's your mission for today?"

"Her mission," a bored voice from behind them called, "is none of your concern." Axel and Vilixa turned to see their fellow blue-haired Organization member approaching slowly. The deep 'X' shaped scar that lined his face had always frightened Vilixa, as she wondered not only how he got it, but how much it must have hurt.

"Oh, hey buddy," Axel called sarcastically. "What's new?"

"We have to confer," Saix said, ignoring Axel's comment. "Vilixa, go to Wonderland and collect information on that world." He then turned back to Axel and motioned for him to follow. Axel sent her a sideways glance, and his expression darkened as he followed Saix out of the Gray Room. Curiosity got the most of Vilixa as she was preparing to depart, and so she followed the two of them to one of the rooms that was deeper in the heart of the castle.

It was a plain white room, similar to all the rest, with a white table and matching chair in the center, overlooking Kingdom Hearts and The World that Never Was. Saix was pacing the room and Axel was leaning against the table casually, his arms folded over his chest.

"You've changed, Axel," Saix said slowly. "You're allowing yourself to get attached to them."

"Hey, I'm still me," Axel defended. "I'm still loyal to the Organization. I got rid of Vexen and Zexion, didn't I?"

Vilixa let out a small gasp, but covered her mouth out of fear of getting caught eavesdropping.

"I suppose you're right," Saix admitted. "Just keep your mind focused on the plan, Lea. Don't get distracted."

Vilixa saw Axel's jaw tense at the mention of the name 'Lea' and he turned to leave the room. Vilixa immediately took that as her cue to leave as fast as her legs could carry her, darting back into the Gray Room, pretending to gather her things to leave for her mission.

Axel walked in, all evidence of frustration and annoyance gone from his face. Vilixa eyed him, not sure of what to think. Axel must've been an extremely good actor if he was able to take down both Vexen and Zexion, and she wondered what else he had been hiding from herself and Roxas.

"Okay," she said to herself. "You have a mission to go on. Focus."

She reluctantly opened up a portal with her hand and walked through, feeling Axel's eyes boring through her back as she faded into the darkness.

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	10. Imposter Spotted

**Here is today's update! I think this story's going to end around chapter 21 because that's the one I'm working on now and it's wrapping up quite nicely...and that's all I'm going to say about that for now.**

**Thank you to Island-style-girl, NinjaSheik and pandabearmusic for reviewing and everyone who has added this story to their favourites or alerts. It makes me happy inside. :)**

**I hope you enjoy this one. Don't forget to review!**

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After her mission had been completed, Vilixa transported herself to the old clock tower in Twilight Town. She missed watching the sunset--she hadn't been to the clock tower in weeks. It didn't seem right being there all alone. It was a sight that needed to be beheld alongside the company of friends.

When she got there, she found Axel and Roxas already waiting for her. She sat next to Roxas, who handed her a bar of sea-salt ice cream. She accepted it and bit down into it, munching in silence. Axel looked over at her with exasperated eyes, but then stared back off into the sun.

"How was Castle Oblivion?" Roxas finally asked, breaking the silence.

"Not bad," Axel shrugged. "A mission's a mission. Shame about the other Organization members, though. Turns out Marluxia and Larxene were traitors. Didn't take long for--" He paused, stopping himself from saying anything further.

"Didn't take long for what?" Roxas asked.

Axel scratched the back of his head, unsure of what to say. "Well, when we were in Castle Oblivion, some of us were in charge of the upper floors, and some were in charge of the basements. I was kind of hanging around both camps, and this kid ended up defeating pretty much everyone in the upper levels and his friend did the same for the basements."

"Who?" Vilixa asked.

Axel let out an accidental growl. "That information is classified."

Vilixa sighed, letting the subject drop. The three of them ate the rest of their ice cream in silence. When they had all finished, Roxas stood up first.

"I'll see you guys back in the castle, right?" he asked. The pair nodded, and Roxas summoned a portal and left. Vilixa got up to leave as well, but felt a hand tugging her back. She looked over to see Axel holding onto her right wrist tightly, heat searing through his gloves and causing her arm to burn in pain.

"Vilixa," he said, dangerously quiet, "I know that you overheard what Saix and I were talking about." She felt her breath caught in her throat as Axel's grip tightened. She winced as he said, "Don't you ever tell Roxas. You're my friend, and I don't want to have to hurt you."

She gulped and nodded before tearing her arm away from Axel's grasp. She lifted her sleeve slightly to reveal a burn the size of Axel's hand that wrapped around her entire wrist. It glowed slightly pink, and she quickly opened a portal with her left hand and quickly returned to the castle.

Back in her room, Vilixa examined the burn with more care. She cast a Cure spell on herself and the insistant throbbing died down, but the burn marks left from Axel's touch remained embedded into her skin. Axel was much more powerful than she'd anticipated, and she was afraid of what else he was capable of.

"Axel...is my friend," she murmured to herself. "Why is he keeping so many secrets?"

Soon, there was a knock at her door. Cautiously, Vilixa opened it, half expecting Axel to be standing there, chakrams ready to attack at any second. She was greeted by the complete opposite, as Demyx stood before her, a small smile plastered on his face.

"We have a meeting," he said. "Come on, Xemnas is waiting in the conference room." And then he opened a portal and was gone in a flash.

Vilixa sighed and teleported herself into the conference room. She had always felt awkward being in there, not only because whenever she had to be in that room did she have to answer question after question about her Keyblade and its lack of use, but because there were only thirteen chairs, and she was the fourteenth Organization member.

She stood in the center of the room, the large seats towering over her. She didn't want to take the place of any of the eliminated Organization members out of respect to them, so she stood and waited with the remaining eight.

Xemnas sat on his throne, his voice booming throughout the room. "We have discovered an impostor lurking about," he announced. "One that has the nerve to wear our coat."

Vilixa looked around, seeing all of the other Organization members muttering to themselves, deep in thought.

"I want them found," Xemnas continued. "Eliminated. Show them what it means to cross Organization XIII."

Slowly, everyone teleported out of the conference room. Just as Vilixa was about to do the same, Xemnas' voice stopped her.

"Vilixa," he said, "Everyone must be alert in order to capture and eliminate this traitor. This means that you must use your Keyblade, or drastic measures will have to be taken."

She gulped and nodded, teleporting back into the Gray Room where Roxas and Axel were talking by one of the large, glass windows. Before she could approach them to talk, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning slowly, she saw Saix hovering over her, a slight smirk tainting his face.

"We have a very important mission for you," he said in a hushed voice. "Go to the Beast's Castle and seek out this impostor. Xemnas wants you, personally, to eliminate them."

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	11. Blindfolded Eyes

**Here's the part I know you've all been waiting for! The impostor is revealed! I really like this part. I hope you do too.**

**Thank you to NinjaSheik, Island-style-girl and DarkFlame Alchemist for reviewing :)**

**If you like this part as much as I do, then please review! I need to know what you guys think of this story.**

**And yes, the story WILL be ending at chapter 21. I finished writing it this morning. But that's all I'm gonna say, the rest is a surprise.**

**Review please!**

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A portal opened and Vilixa wearily stepped through, her hood covering her head and face, as her feet connected with the cobblestone ground. She inhaled shakily and stepped forward as the portal closed behind her, observing the enormous castle that stood galantly ahead. She had heard Xaldin speak of it before, but she had never been to the castle herself.

"How did I get shafted into doing this?" Vilixa mumbled to herself, wringing her hands slightly as started to search for the Organization's imposter.

Then she heard a noise. Her ears perked up slightly as she heard slow, quiet footsteps not far away. Her Keyblade appeared in her hand and she gripped it tightly, with more confidence, knowing that this would be a situation where she would have to fight or else she could lose her own life to this unknown stranger.

She turned on her heel and saw a black blur zip past, and felt the cool metal of a blade against her throat. She gulped and lowered her Keyblade.

"Who are you?" a foreign, yet somehow familiar voice whispered into her ear.

"I could ask you the same question," she grunted, before swiftly bringing her elbow to her attacker's stomach, causing him to let her go momentarily. She got a safe distance away before readying herself for battle. The stranger had his hood up as well, so Vilixa couldn't get a good look at his face. From the sound of his voice, though, he seemed to be around her age. He charged at her with a blade shaped like a long bat's wing and she barely managed to defend herself against his mighty blow.

He used more of his strength to lower the blade closer to her face, and Vilixa winced under the pressure. She somehow managed to push him off, gathering her strength and slicing her Keyblade through the air, hoping that it would collide with her assailant.

He was quick on his feet though. He dodged her easily, swinging his blade almost effortlessly at her, the tip dragging across her torso and causing her to scream out in pain. Her Keyblade fell to the ground and so did she, gripping at the torn cloth of her cloak and the blood that dripped down from the open wound.

A small whimper escaped her lips as the stranger approached her slowly. She looked up at him with terrified eyes and noticed that he'd removed the hood from his own head. His hair was long and silver, but a long piece of black cloth covered his eyes from her view. She tried to keep her hood on, but the imposter rolled her onto her back using the toe of his boot and held his blade up against her neck.

Making sure that she wouldn't get up and try to attack him again, he tugged the hood off of Vilixa's head and she squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself for the impact of another ferocious attack. The boy lifted the edge of the cloth to peer down at her with one eye and he gasped and fell to his knees.

"Livia?"

Vilixa brought her hand up to her mouth and coughed, blood finding its way onto her gloves. A wave of pain burst through her and she clutched at her stomach again, feeling faint. The boy rifled through his pockets and pulled out a small green vial. He sat by her and lifted her upper body so that he cradled her head in his arms, and brought the serum to her lips.

"Drink this," he said in an almost commanding voice. "It'll help."

"W-Why..." Vilixa muttered weakly, "why don't you j-just...kill me..."

He ignored her, lifting her head a bit and tipping the vial so that its contents poured into her mouth. She reluctantly swallowed the potion, and soon felt a wave of relief as the wounds she sustained slowly began to fade away. She suddenly perked up, sitting up straight and examining her stomach carefully. Only a long, thin scar remained in its place.

Looking at the boy, she asked, "Who are you?"

He seemed almost hurt. "Livia...you don't remember me?"

Baffled, she asked, "Who are you talking about?"

The boy let out a sad sigh and mumbled to himself, "I guess it's just her Nobody..."

"What are you talking about?" she demanded. "I'm me. No one else. Who is this Livia person?"

He rose to his feet and said, "I know you. You don't belong in the Organization. They're a bad crowd...it's time you made your own decisions instead of letting other people dictate your life."

Vilixa's crimson hair fell over her bright, violet eyes and she repeated, "Who are you?"

He paused, as if he was thinking to himself. Then he finally responded, "I'm someone who cares about you."

Vilixa felt as if she was about to explode. "I don't know who you are," she said forcefully, "Or who you're pretending to be, but I've never met you in my life! I don't know who this Livia person is, but she isn't me. You don't know a thing about me."

"I do," he insisted. "I know how much you love when the stars shoot around in the sky over the ocean back on the islands, how you wake up at dawn to see the sun come up and how you drop everything at night to see the sun go down. I know you, Livia."

"That's not my name!" she nearly shrieked. "I don't know what you're talking about! I've never been to any island, I've never seen the stars...I'm not this Livia person you keep talking about! If you know so much about me, then what's my name?"

He stayed silent for a second before answering, "Livia."

"It's Vilixa," she snapped. "Get it memorized." After saying that, she then thought to herself, _I hang around Axel way too much._

"Vilixa..." he repeated, the name seeming almost uncomfortable being spoken from his lips. "...Alright."

He turned to leave and said once again, "You don't belong with them. You know where your heart belongs...listen to it and it'll lead you down the right path."

"I would," Vilixa chortled sadly, "but I don't have a heart."

The boy looked back at her with remorse, opening a portal. "That may be true," he said, "But that doesn't mean your heart is dead. If you look hard enough, you'll find it."

And then he was gone.

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	12. Escape

**This one's really short, so I apologize for that. Please don't maim me! This one's kiiind of important, anyway.**

**Thank you for all the reviews for chapter 11! I got home from my part time job to a dozen emails for reviews for this story and people adding this and Dearly Beloved to their favourites. Made me so happy :)**

**Thank you to NinjaSheik, Island-style-girl, Lunarex the 15th member and pandabearmusic for reviewing. You guys rule :)**

**I hope you enjoy it. The next one's a LOT longer, I promise!**

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It had been thirteen days since Vilixa had seen that silver haired boy at the Beast's Castle, and it had been thirteen days since she'd left the safety of her room. She kept the door locked so that no one could enter and would either lay on her back, staring at the ceiling or sit at the edge of her bed, staring at Kingdom Hearts. As Roxas continued to collect hearts, it continued to grow. Vilixa would often sit and stare at it, thinking to herself that although she could wield a Keyblade, she had not made a single contribution to its formation.

A gentle knock came from her door. She walked over and pressed her ear against it, saying, "Who is it?"

"Axel," the familiar voice answered. "Open up, Vee. We need to talk."

Grudgingly, she slowly opened the door and Axel stepped inside. He sat down on her bed and patted the area next to him, signalling for her to sit down. She did so, placing her hands in her lap and making direct eye contact with the floor.

Axel finally spoke, "What are you doing, holing yourself up in your room like this? Roxas is really worried about you. You haven't even come to have ice cream with us in like...two weeks."

Biting her lip, a nervous habit she'd picked up, she replied, "How do you know that we really don't have hearts?"

He seemed slightly taken aback by this question and said, "Well, we're Nobodies. With a capital 'N'. It's just common sense. Nobodies don't have hearts. We aren't even meant to exist."

"But we do," she pressed. "We do exist, Axel. We defied the designs of Nature when we were created. We were told that we don't have hearts or emotions. But then what's that feeling that I get when I'm with you and Roxas? This feeling like...like I'm part of something bigger than I am? Like I have a place in the world, and it's here, with you two."

Axel let out a sigh and scratched the back of his head in thought. "Well, I...I don't really know about that," he said truthfully. "I mean, you and Roxas are my best friends. We don't have hearts, that's the truth, but we remember what it feels like to have all those emotions. Maybe that's what you're feeling."

She shook her head. "Friendship is more powerful than just a cheap imitation," she insisted. "There has to be some shred of a heart within our beings. There just has to be."

"What brought all this up?" Axel finally asked. "You've been in the Organization for a few months, now. Why are you asking all of these questions all of a sudden?"

"Because..." Vilixa paused, not wanting to tell Axel about the encounter with the silver haired boy. "...Because...I'm wondering if I really even belong in the Organization at all."

"Hey," Axel warned. "What are you talking about?"

"Think about it, Axel," she stated. "I don't like using violence, even more so than Demyx. I have a Keyblade, but I won't use it. I'm Number XIV, but there are still only thirteen chairs in the meeting room. I don't belong here."

"You do," he kept insisting. "You said it yourself. You belong here with me and Roxas. With us, as friends."

"I would reside in your hearts if you had them," Vilixa said sadly, "but you don't. I don't...but I can't just sit around and wait for life to pass me by. I need to find out where I truly belong, because it isn't here with Xemnas and his band of loyal followers." She turned to a hurt looking Axel and said, "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to offend you, Axel, but--"

"No," he interrupted. "I get it. If you want to go, then go. No one's stopping you."

Surprised, she asked quietly, "Do you mean...if I left, you wouldn't tell Xemnas?"

"He'll ask me where you went," he explained. "And if you don't tell me, then how am I to know?"

A small smile formed on Vilixa's face and she wrapped her arms around Axel in a warm hug, repeating the words "Thank you" over and over into his hear. He patted her back and let go, winking at her before she summoned a portal and ran through it, not once looking back.

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	13. The Truth About Roxas

**Here you go! A super long update to make up for the super short one yesterday.**

**Thank you to Island-style-girl, NinjaSheik and BrooklynHiggins63 for reviewing! This story officially has more reviews than Dearly Beloved. I'm glad you guys like the sequel so much.**

**I won't take up any more of your reading time. Enjoy and review!**

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Vilixa didn't know where she was, but the familiarity of the new world astounded her. The calming scent of the ocean filled her nostrils and the gentle breeze that moved through the balmy air made her feel at peace. As soon as the portal closed behind her though, she collapsed onto the ground, her strength having been drained.

She had expected to collide with the sandy ground of the small island she stood on, but instead fell into someone's arms. Looking up weakly, she saw that same boy with the silver hair and blindfold covering his eyes.

"Are you alright?" he asked, sounding extremely concerned.

"Y-Yeah," she answered softly. "Just...tired. I didn't know where I was going, just that...I wanted to find you. And when you use portals like that, it kind of drains your energy...just a little."

The boy grinned and gently moved the stray pieces of hair away from Vilixa's face. "At least you're okay."

Taking in deep breaths, Vilixa sat up, shaking the dizziness away from her head. "You know," she mentioned, "you never told me your name."

He looked into her eyes behind the black blindfold, but once he realized that she truly didn't know him, he mumbled, "It's Riku."

"Riku..." she repeated, familiarizing herself with the name. They both stood, and she said, "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"Why are your eyes covered? And why are you dressed like a member of Organization XIII?" she questioned. "You're wearing our coat." Her hand flew up to her mouth and she quickly corrected, "I mean, _their _coat."

"Are you leaving the Organization?" Riku asked, sounding a bit surprised. "But when I last saw you, you were so adamant about staying."

She smiled softly and said, "You're avoiding my question. Answer mine, and I'll answer yours."

He grinned back and agreed. "I took the coat," he answered, "because I needed a way to watch over a certain member of Organization XIII without being seen. And as for the blindfold...my eyes can't lie. I needed to cover them in order to enter back into the darkness." Taking a breath, he then said, "Okay. Your turn."

Vilixa let out a small giggle. "Well...after the first time we spoke, I kind of thought that you were crazy for trying to get me to leave," she admitted. "But when I thought about it more, I realized all these things about the Organization that didn't make sense to me. Like...the reasons why they're fighting for something they know nothing about. It finally dawned on me that I don't belong there, and so I left."

"Did anyone see you leave?" Riku asked, sounding concerned.

"Axel did," she admitted, "but he doesn't know where I am exactly. And frankly, neither do I."

Riku smiled and looked out into the ocean. "This place..." he breathed, "this place is...or _was _your home. Destiny Island."

Vilixa looked around at the rest of the island, seeing an abundance of palm trees, tree houses, shacks and most importantly, the ocean that lapped against the sand in such a carefree manner. "This...this beach was my home?" she asked, sounding incredulous. "I lived here?"

"Yes," Riku answered, "but it's not complete. And it won't be, until Sora's memories are restored."

"Sora?" Vilixa repeated. "Who...who's Sora?"

Riku sighed, realizing that he had a lot more explaining to do than he had initially expected. "Sora is like a brother to me. And he was to you, when you had a heart. He is the Keyblade's Chosen One, and about half a year ago, he saved all the worlds from the Heartless and sealed all the Keyholes that threatened to destroy the balance."

"So..." she concluded, "Sora's a hero?"

"He is," Riku agreed. "But that's not all. In the final battle for Kingdom Hearts, Sora and I closed the door to the Kingdom Hearts, sealing myself and King Mickey inside while he remained on the outside, a denizen of light. We were both inside Castle Oblivion, fighting our way to get the answers that we needed."

"Castle Oblivion?" Vilixa said, startled. "But...that's where all the Organization members were!"

"I know," Riku said. "They...had to be eliminated. Sora took over the top floors and I look over the basements."

What Axel had told Vilixa about Castle Oblivion had finally made sense. It was Sora and Riku who were taking down the Organization members one by one. But why wouldn't Axel tell her that from the very beginning? What else whas he trying to hide?

Riku continued. "While we were at Castle Oblivion, a witch named Naminé erased almost all of Sora's memories and rearranged the ones that remained. And now, Sora has been put to sleep so that she can piece his memories back together. But we can't finish what we started, unless--" He stopped and sighed.

Vilixa eyed him warily. "Unless what?"

"Unless..." Riku said, "Unless Roxas returns to Sora."

"Roxas?" Vilixa uttered, confused. "What's Roxas got to do with any of this?"

"Roxas is Sora's Nobody," Riku explained. "In the final battle, Sora gave up his own heart to save someone very important to him. He became a Heartless, and then that's when his Nobody, Roxas, was created. Then that same person saved him and his Heartless turned back into his normal form."

"So a Heartless _can _turn back into a real person," Vilixa mumbled to herself. She turned to look at Riku and said, "When you say that Roxas has to return to Sora...you're not going to hurt him, are you?"

Riku shook his head. "That's not our plan," he responded. "We don't want to hurt him, but we also don't think he'll go back to Sora willingly." He placed a hand on Vilixa's shoulder and then said, "But we need your help as well. We need you...and your Keyblade."

"My Keyblade?" she asked, confused. "I...don't understand. What do you need my Keyblade for?"

"Your Keyblade," Riku answered, "has a special purpose. It has the ability to unlock people's memories. You can help restore Sora's memories to the way they were, and when he awakens, I'm sure he'll be able to find a way to retrieve your heart."

"I'll be whole again?" she asked in a small voice.

He nodded. "I'll do my very best to try and get your heart back. I promise."

_Promise..._ The word echoed in Vilixa's mind.

Riku held his hand out to her. "Will you come with me to see Sora?"

Smiling slightly, she nodded and took his hand. He opened an portal and she asked, "Where are we going, anyway?"

"Twilight Town," Riku replied. "To the Old Mansion."

* * *

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	14. The Old Mansion

**I like this chapter a lot. There's a bit of a POV switch from what's going on with Vilixa and what's going on back in The Castle That Never Was. I'm sure you'll get it as you read along.**

**Thank you to NinjaSheik, Island-style-girl, Springborn and VanishatheHedgehog for reviewing the last chapter!**

**Keep the reviews coming :) Tell me if you like the story or not! It takes two minutes!**

* * *

"What do you mean, 'she's gone'?" Xemnas boomed from his throne back in the Castle That Never Was. "Explain to me, Axel. Perhaps I'm simply daft, because I can't seem to understand how someone can simply disappear."

Axel folded his arms over his chest and grunted. "You're not, sir," he muttered. "But I don't know where she is. She's gone. Must've left the castle at night when we were asleep or something, but I don't know where she is."

"Number XIII," Xemnas roared, turning his attention to Roxas, who's eyes were wide with worry. "You two were close. Do you know where she could have gone?"

Roxas shook his head. "I don't know."

Xemnas growled deep in his throat. "Well, I want her found, and I want her found _now_."

* * * * *

"I...I remember this place," Vilixa mumbled once the Old Mansion came into view. "But...I don't know where I've seen it before. I haven't been through this forest before...have I?"

"Try to remember," Riku said gently. "I'm sure it'll all come back to you soon."

"Axel said that the Organization members remember who they used to be, before becoming Nobodies," Vilixa suddenly said. "Why is it that I can't remember who I was?"

Riku shrugged and pushed the heavy metal gate doors open, ushering her inside. Vilixa walked through and Riku closed them from the inside. "I don't know why," Riku said honestly. "But maybe there's someone here who can help you."

Vilixa looked surprised. "Someone can help me find my memories?"

Riku let out a chuckle. "I told you her name already, remember? Naminé. She's inside, along with DiZ. Follow me."

* * * * *

"Axel, seriously, where is she?" Roxas hissed, back in the Gray Room. "I know that you know something. You always do. What are you hiding from me? I thought we were friends!"

Axel was starting to get extremely aggravated with all of the questions, but spoke anyway. "I sincerely don't know where she went, Roxas," he said, "but I do know that she left. Who are we to stop someone who doesn't want to be a part of the Organization anymore? She may be a Nobody, but we're Organization XIII, not XIV."

Roxas was baffled. "She's our friend, Axel! She belongs here with us!"

"How do you know that?" he snapped. "How do you know what's best for her? She's the only one who can decide that for herself. Get it memorized, alright?"

Saix marched up to Axel and Roxas and stared down at the blond haired boy. "Your mission is to go collect hearts in Halloween Town. Axel, your duty is to retrieve Vilixa, but Lord Xemnas wants her intact. Do I make myself clear?"

"Hey," Roxas countered. "I want to go find her. She's my friend too!"

Saix scoffed. "This has nothing to do with friendship. This is about a mission. If you wish to disobey direct orders from Lord Xemnas, then be my guest, but I have no control over what might befall you, should he view your actions as some sort of betrayal."

Roxas gritted his teeth, but opened a portal and stormed through it. Saix redirected his attention back to Axel.

"Go now," he ordered. "And don't forget--we need her in one piece."

"Yes...sir," Axel grunted begrudgingly before opening a portal himself and stepping through it.

* * * * *

The inside of the mansion was how Vilixa expected it to be--dusty, run down, and frankly, quite old. Suits of armor stood gallantly against the wall with a thin layer of dust coating every surface, and pieces of a broken chandelier were strewn about in the center of the floor. Piles of rubble blocked some of the doors, and the air felt thick and almost moldy.

"This way," Riku said, taking her hand and leading her up the stairs. She winced slightly as Riku's hand brushed up against the palm-shaped burn on her forearm. This didn't go unnoticed. Riku looked at her with an almost sad expression and lifted her sleeve so that he could see the burn for himself.

"Funny," Vilixa muttered. "Nobodies aren't supposed to be able to feel, but this pain feels pretty real to me."

Riku led her up the stairs and to the left. Knocking on the door, he heard a faint voice usher them in. He opened the door to reveal a blindingly white room. In the center of the room was a long white table with a few chairs placed around it. All across the walls were drawings done in pencil crayons. Her eyes scanned over all of them and stopped cold when she saw a single one that was hung in the far corner of the room.

There were three figures, all dawned in black cloaks. One was tall with a burst of flaming red hair, the second was shorter with blond hair that spiked up, and the last had long, crimson hair that fell past the girl's shoulders. It was a drawing of herself, Roxas and Axel.

"Hello," a soft voice called, almost musically, from the chair at the head of the table. Vilixa tore her eyes away from the drawing to see a girl about her age or a bit younger with long, blond hair that hung over one shoulder wearing a pure white dress and a quiet smile on her lips. "It's so nice to finally meet you. My name is Naminé."

* * * * *

"Why do I always get stuck with all the icky jobs?" Axel whined to himself as he closed the portal behind him. He'd been searching world after world for Vilixa with no luck. He finally decided to check Twilight Town, realizing that it was the world that she visited most often. "I could have saved myself a lot of time if I'd just come here first."

He trudged across the forest until he found himself before the locked gate of the Old Mansion. He tapped his chakrams against the heavy chains and groaned.

"Just my luck. I don't think anyone's home."

Then something caught his eye. Movement in one of the windows of the upper floor.

"Hmm," he thought. "Maybe I spoke a little too soon."

* * * * *

"This is DiZ," Riku said, gesturing to a tall man that stood behind Naminé wearing a red cloak and red bandages wrapped all around his head. "He's helping us to restore Sora's memories."

"Um...hello," she said nervously. She could just barely see his eyes beneath the bandages, but either way, something about them made her a bit uncomfortable.

"Do you know why you are here?" DiZ asked, his accent heavy as he moved across the room.

Vilixa thought for a moment. "I don't really have a defined reason."

"Don't worry," Naminé smiled. "I'll explain everything."

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	15. Answers

**Sorry! This chapter is a day late. I was going to post it yesterday but school and all...you know how it is.**

**Anyway, my regular thank you's to these awesome people for reviewing: SpringBorn, Island-style-girl, NinjaSheik, VanishatheHedgehog and BrooklynHiggans63. Thank you thank you thank you!**

**Without further prolonging, here is chapter 15!**

**Don't forget to review! :)**

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"There is someone very special to Sora, named Kairi," Naminé began. "Kairi is a Princess of Heart. There are seven altogether--princesses of the purest heart that are said to be the key to unlocking Kingdom Hearts. Not too long ago, Kairi lost her heart to the Heartless. That's when I was created."

"You're...a Nobody?" Vilixa questioned.

"Yes," Naminé replied. "A Nobody and a witch that has the powers to rearrange, create and erase memories. Has Riku told you of Castle Oblivion?" Vilixa nodded. "Then you know that Sora's memories have been scattered and we need to get them back to him, or he may never wake up."

"And in order to do so," DiZ said, "We need that other Nobody. Roxas."

Vilixa stared down at the white table, fidgeting with her gloves. "Then...why do you need me?"

Naminé smiled. "You see," she said, "Kairi is really your cousin. Or rather, the cousin of Livia, which was your name when you had a heart. Since you two are related, her royal blood runs through your veins. That is why you are also capable of unlocking memories with your Keyblade."

Surprised, Vilixa's Keyblade appeared in her hands. "So...it does have a purpose."

"Yes," Naminé nodded. "You can help Sora regain his memories by connecting to Roxas."

"How am I supposed to do that?" Vilixa asked. "I don't understand..."

Naminé folded her hands in her lap and explained. "You see, since your Keyblade has the ability to unlock people's memories, I believe that it will be able to trigger something inside of Roxas. Maybe it'll help bring Sora's memories forward into Roxas' mind so that he'll be more willing to return to him."

"I...guess it makes sense in theory," Vilixa nodded. "But how am I supposed to actually carry it out?"

"When the time comes," Naminé said, "you'll know."

"Riku," DiZ's stern voice came from near the window. "We have company."

Vilixa rushed out of her chair towards the window frame with Riku beside her and saw a tall, lanky figure with a burst of fire-red hair looming around outside. Riku nodded and DiZ and said, "I'll get rid of him."

"No," Vilixa gripped onto Riku's hand and pulled him back. "Don't hurt him, he's my friend."

"We know who he is," Riku said tensely. "We ran into him back in Castle Oblivion. He's one of the ones who kidnapped Naminé."

"But..." Naminé paused, "he's also the one that let me escape." She turned to Riku and said, "Let her go and talk to him, Riku. It's worth a shot. Maybe he'll listen...after all, he is a reasonable Nobody."

Sighing, Riku let Vilixa go. She practically flew down the stairs and out the mansion's front door, running to the locked gate. Axel saw her and his eyebrows flew up. "Fancy meeting you here," he joked before his expression became much more grim. "Look, Vee, I'm sorry, but...an order's an order, and you know that I never disobey them."

Vilixa smiled weakly. "I know." She pointed her Keyblade up and unlocked the giant chain that covered the gate and it swung open with ease. "But Axel...you know that I don't want to fight you."

"None of this makes sense," Axel grunted. "Something about all this really stinks."

"Axel," Vilixa said, stepping closer to him. "Remember what I told you? How we all have a purpose in the life we're given?" Axel nodded. "Well...I've found mine. I've found where I belong and it isn't with the Organization. I have the ability to help someone, and I'm not letting that slip away."

Axel sighed and muttered, "Sora, right?"

She bit her lip. "Yes. I'm going to help restore his memories."

Axel tensed up. "That means...Roxas has to return to Sora." Looking at her right in the eyes, he said sadly, "Then what, I lose both of my best friends? To some kid with an oversized key?"

"It's not like that, Axel," Vilixa responded. "I promise you that Sora will be able to find a way to get our hearts back. Xemnas...everything about him is smoke and mirrors. When will Kingdom Hearts ever be complete? He can't be trusted, Axel. He just can't!"

She gasped slightly as there was a small burst of flames and Axel's chakrams appeared in his hands. "An order's an order," Axel said darkly. "Sorry."

Vilixa took in a deep, shaky breath. "I'm not going to fight you, Axel. You're my friend."

"This isn't about friendship!" Axel screamed. "It's about--" he stopped himself dead in his tracks and stared off into midair. "Listen to me. I'm starting to sound like that blue-haired, pointy-eared jerk..." He averted his attention back to Vilixa and said, "This is how it has to be, or else they'll turn _me_ into a dusk."

"Do your worst," Vilixa replied softly. "I'm still not fighting you."

Axel charged at her with his weapons, and Vilixa squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the impact. But just before the chakrams could reach her, something deflected them and sent them flying back to their owner. She opened her eyes and saw Riku standing before her with his weapon out, preparing to counterattack.

"No!" Vilixa grabbed onto Riku's arm. "Stop it, Riku! I know you, you'll kill him!"

She gasped slightly at her own words. _I know you._ She had only known Riku for a matter of days. Could it be that her past memories were beginning to be restored?

"If I don't do something, _he'll_ kill _you_," Riku countered. "And I can't let that happen!"

"How touching," Axel muttered from his position about six feet away. "If I had a heart, I'd be moved."

"Go back to the castle, Axel," Vilixa begged. "Please. Just tell them you couldn't find me, I don't want you to get hurt."

"What's with you two?" he seethed. "You and Roxas...you both think you can do whatever you want. Ignore orders, run away, talk like you have hearts when you know that you don't. I'm sick of it. I'm sick of always having to catch you when you start running."

"I'm not running," she mumbled. "Axel, this is my destiny. We all have one, and this is mine. Please, just understand that and return back to the castle."

Axel fervently shook his head and poised himself for attack, Riku doing the same. Vilixa tried to hold him back, but the two charged at each other with their weapons, and she stood by, horrified at the scene that unfolded before her.

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**Oh, I _would _end it there.**

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	16. Meeting Sora

**Chapter 16! I'm really surprised that there's a consistent amount of people reading each chapter. Makes me feel good.**

**This story is almost over. Sad! But I have a few tricks up my sleeve. You'll see...in about five more updates.**

**Thank you to SpringBorn, NinjaSheik, WerecatSeeker (aka VanishatheHedgehog...I remembered!), SelphieDonnaQueen, and Island-style-girl for reviewing. You're all amazing :)**

**Read, enjoy, and most importantly, review!**

* * *

Axel was on the ground, gasping for breath as Riku hovered over him with his weapon ready for another attack. Vilixa ran over to Riku and tugged him away before rushing to Axel's side. Riku was surprised and slightly hurt by this, but lowered his Death Eater and simply watched as Vilixa quietly muttered a Cure spell that washed over Axel's body, healing all his wounds.

"Why...why did you help me?" Axel asked, sitting up slowly.

"Axel," she said with a sigh. "We're friends. And no matter what, I'll always care about you."

He scoffed. "Care..." He let out a laugh. "There you go again, talkin' like you have a heart. Fine. I see where your loyalties lie...I'll go back to the castle, but if I get another order directly from Xemnas to retrieve you again, then I'm not taking it easy on you--" he glared at Riku, "--or your bodyguard."

A portal opened beneath him and he disappeared.

"Why'd you do that?" Riku asked in a soft voice. "Help him, I mean."

Vilixa was confused. "I thought you heard," she answered. "He's my friend. I care about him."

"Do you really think he feels the same way?" Riku countered. "Do you really think he can even feel?"

Vilixa was in shock. "You know," she said quietly, "for someone who has a heart, you can be pretty heartless at times." She walked past him and went back into the castle. She heard the sounds of the gate closing and the lock clicking back into place. She went back up to the White Room, Riku following close behind.

"Is everything alright?" Naminé asked. Livia glanced over at Riku angrily as he leaned against the far wall, his eyes hiding all emotions from her view.

"Yes."

* * * * *

"Well?" Saix asked as Axel marched through the doors of the Gray Room and plopped down on one of the couches. "Did you find her?"

"Nope," Axel responded casually. "Don't know where she is. No trace of her. Seems she disappeared into thin air."

"Just like Naminé?" Saix shot back suspiciously.

Axel scratched at the back of his head. "I can't help it if these girls are just sneaky. So they sneak away from me when I'm not looking. What's your point?"

"My point is," Saix seethed, a vein popping in his scarred forehead, "that Lord Xemnas and I have decided that it'd be best if we sent a creation of our own to go searching for her. And Xemnas has decided that he wants her dead or alive."

"What?" Axel exclaimed. "You're going to destroy her? Why?"

Saix smirked. "She's a traitor, Axel. She fled the Organization and has no intention of coming back. She's just a broken puppet and has no purpose. Xemnas wants her eliminated."

"She has a purpose," Axel defended. "You have no right to do that to her."

Saix shook his head. "You've changed, Lea," he muttered. "You've allowed yourself to get attached. Don't think that your misbehaviours have gone unnoticed by the Superior."

Axel grunted and folded his arms over his chest. "Get out of my face, Saix."

"Hmph," Saix scoffed, turning to leave. "As you wish. But don't be surprised when Vilixa is erased from existence."

* * * * *

"Can I see him?" Vilixa asked meekly to DiZ as they walked down the hall of the empty mansion. "I want to see if I can remember him at all."

"I don't know if you will or not," DiZ admitted. "In the process of his recovery, Naminé has had to erase Sora from everyone's memory in order for them to be rearranged in the correct order."

"Then...why isn't Riku affected by it?" she asked, confused.

"Riku is a special case," DiZ explained. "His memories were not the ones that were tampered with as much as Sora's. Naminé was able to restore his memories without putting him to sleep."

Vilixa nodded. "Oh."

"If you'd still like to see him," DiZ said, pushing the door to the library open, "I will show you where he is."

The library was a medium-sized square room with books lining all the walls. In the center of the room was a table with a sketchbook open to a half-drawn symbol and DiZ walked over to it, completed the sketch, and stood back. The floor began to shake and soon the floor was tucked back to reveal a lower level that had cables strewn about and wires that made small whirring noises.

DiZ walked down the stairs, ushering for the girl to follow him. She followed suit and scurried down to catch up as he walked through a door into the next room.

That room had a giant computer with over a dozen monitors surrounding a single chair. Each monitor showed something different, and from the looks of it, it was Twilight Town. Vilixa was about to ask why the computer was there, but DiZ had already disappeared.

She ran into the next room which was just an empty floor. She looked around, confused as to why it would even have been there and entered through another doorway.

It was a long, narrow hallway that had several pods that lined the walls. She walked past two pods that had been occupied, one by a giant duck and one by an even bigger dog. They remained in suspended animation, and Vilixa stared at them closely.

"They do look a bit familiar," she admitted to herself. "I wonder..."

"Vilixa," DiZ called from the end of the hall. Vilixa turned to see DiZ opening the last door to a pure white room. "Come this way."

Vilixa stepped inside the room and her footsteps echoed off the walls and back into her ears. There was a giant pod in the center of the room and DiZ stood next to it, waiting for Vilixa to approach. She drew closer and DiZ pushed a button, causing shells surrounding the pod to open, revealing a sleeping boy, about her age, with spiky brown hair, eyes closed in a peaceful sleep.

"I'll let you be," DiZ said. "Remember to close the pod when you've finished visiting."

Soon, Vilixa was alone with Sora. She sat down in front of the pod, staring up at his sleeping face. "Sora," she said quietly, although her voice seemed to echo, "It's Vilixa. Or...I guess, I used to be Livia. I hear that you used to know me. That you were like a brother to me...when I had a heart." She paused and let out a sigh. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm going to do my best to help you wake up. I promise that I'll help you regain your memories, and I never break my promises."

She stood, giving Sora a small smile.

"He really does look like you," she said softly. "I wish you could meet him. But I guess...you will soon enough."

She pressed the same button DiZ had and the pod closed shut and Vilixa made the walk back upstairs, the sound of her footsteps following close behind.

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	17. Stargazer

**Hi! Sorry for missing an update yesterday...I had to work. Is the document editor weird for anyone else now? The simple text editor thing is gone and it's all HTML coding for me. Which isn't all bad, since I do know how to do it, but still..it was so much easier before. Is there a way to change it back? Help!**

Thank you to NinjaSheik, Island-style-girl, asteroidpie, Kuro Neko to Kuro Bara, SpringBorn, and pandabearmusic for reviewing. You're all amazing!

Here's chapter 17. It's a bit short, but crucially important and super adorable. Enjoy!

And don't forget to REVIEW! :)

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"This will be your room," Riku said, showing Vilixa her new quarters. The room was small, with one bed, a desk and a shelf of books. A single square window looked out into the remnants of a magnificent garden below and the setting sun washed the room in a golden glow. "If you need anything, just ask."

Vilixa took a seat on the edge of the bed. It felt different than the one she had back in the Castle That Never Was...it wasn't as stiff or uncomfortable. Before Riku could leave, Vilixa called out, "Riku?" He turned to face her. "Could...you stay for a minute? I have some things I want to ask you."

He nodded and closed the door to the room, sitting next to her on the bed. "What is it?"

"Well," she began nervously, wringing her fingers as a distraction. "You knew me when I had a heart, right?" Riku nodded. Blushing, she asked, "What was I like?"

Riku smiled a little and answered, "You were the best person I knew. Selfless, caring...you were the kind of person who would do anything for your friends. Even if it meant sacrificing yourself in order to make things right."

"Is that how I became a Nobody?" she questioned. "I never really knew..."

Riku decided to tell his side of the story from the very beginning. "A storm hit our island and all of us, you, me, Sora and Kairi, all went to go check on the raft. It was a terrible storm...it turns out that the Heartless had completely taken over. It was then that I decided to accept the darkness into my heart and found myself working for a very powerful witch named Maleficent."

Vilixa cocked her head to the side. "Was Maleficent like Naminé?"

Riku smiled and shook his head. "Not at all. Maleficent was evil. She used me to gather the seven Princesses of Heart in order to open the final door to Kingdom Hearts. Maleficent wanted power, and so did Ansem. I mean, Xehanort's Heartless."

She was baffled. "Who?"

"There was a man who studied the Heartless quite intently," Riku explained. "This name was Ansem the Wise. You know him...as DiZ."

"DiZ?" Vilixa repeated. "He studied the Heartless? But why?"

"He wanted to learn more about the heart," Riku answered. "He had an assistant named Xehanort. When Xehanort's heart was taken over by the Heartless, his Heartless assumed human form and called itself by Ansem's name. Xehanort's Heartless tapped into the darkness within my heart and took over my body, and tried to kill Sora."

"Did you want to kill him?" Vilixa asked in a whisper-quiet voice.

Riku looked away from her and sighed. "I was jealous of Sora," he admitted. "My foolish pride caused me to hate him...but I realized that Sora was only trying to help everyone else. Unfortunately, by the time I'd come back around, you were already gone."

"How did it happen?"

"Sora and I were in the middle of a battle," Riku explained. "And Xehanort's Heartless was controlling me. He was about to put an end to Sora when you stepped in the way and he pierced your heart instead, while your Keyblade pierced mine. In that instant, I was myself again and all I could see before me was the girl that I loved dying in my best friend's arms."

Vilixa looked up at Riku and bit her lip. "Did...did my actions help you?"

"They did help to awaken me," Riku answered, "long enough for Sora to recover and get away so that he could come back and fight, full force. It wasn't long after that when I regained my own strength and Xehanort's spirit left my body. I was my own person again...you helped that happen."

Vilixa nodded to herself and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You said...that you loved me?"

Riku's cheeks were tinted pink. "Yeah. I did."

She felt a smile tug at the corner of her lips. "Do you still?"

Riku stood to leave and walked over to the door. He turned the knob slowly and pulled it open. Before he walked out, he turned his head and quietly responded, "Yes."

He walked out, closing the door softly behind him.

She stared at the spot where Riku had stood just moments ago, hoping slightly that he would return. Her hand flew up to her chest where her heart would have been, wondering if what she was experiencing had been a mistake. There was nothing that greeted her palm's cool touch--just the dead silence that her lack of a heart brought.

But then, what was it that she was feeling?

The heat rising to her cheeks, the fluttering feeling in her stomach...how could she experience love without a heart?

The sky outside her window was dark and she pulled the chair towards the window. She sat with her head resting on her arms and stared out at the night sky, watching the stars twinkle and dance across the dark blue canvas for the first time in her life as a Nobody.

"It's beautiful," she murmured, her eyelids beginning to droop.

They finally closed and she was lulled into a deep sleep as the stars glimmered overhead, awaiting the promise of a new day.

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	18. Missing

**Allllright, here's chapter 18. This one's pretty short, so I'm sorry for that--writing this part was kind of difficult to expand on for me, personally. I don't really know why...well, anyway, I hope you like it.**

**Can you believe there are only...three chapters left in the story? Crazyyyy!**

**Thank you to NinjaSheik, Island-style-girl, Hikari no Yami, pandabearmusic, and Springborn for reviewing. :)**

**Don't forget to review! It's almost the end anyway, you might as well!**

* * *

Vilixa woke up the next morning with a start. She heard someone running down the stairs and opened her bedroom door to see Riku bounding outside. Curious, Vilixa straightened out her cloak and followed him. She wondered what time it was--the sun had just barely come up and she was almost positive that DiZ and Naminé were still sleeping.

As she exited the front doors of the mansion, she saw Riku head out into the forest. She ran after him, but didn't want him to know that she was watching close by. She remained hidden behind a tree and watched as Riku slowly untied the blindfold from his eyes and lowered it, his body undergoing a transformation.

A wave of darkness splashed across the forest and the man standing before her was no longer Riku, but a tall man with dark, tanned skin and long, silver hair that was slicked back in the front. He bore some resemblance to Xemnas, and Vilixa realized that he must have been Xehanort's Heartless.

She was about to run back to the Old Mansion when she heard rustling coming from the forest's entrace. Looking over, she saw an oversized mouse, also dawning an Organization XIII cloak, with a stern expression on his face, walking towards the clearing where Riku was, his Keyblade ready for attack.

Just as the mouse approached, Riku tied the blindfold back over his eyes and he transformed back into his old self. She held back a gasp and continued to watch from behind the tree.

"Riku?" the mouse asked, looking shocked. "For a second, you looked just like--"

"I know," Riku said. "I'm getting better at controlling it. What are you doing here, your Majesty?"

"The mouse is royalty?" Vilixa mumbled. "Oh, _he_ must be King Mickey..."

The two exchanged words briefly in a low volume, so Vilixa couldn't quite catch everything they were saying. She did hear Riku mutter, "I don't want Sora to ever know about this. Promise me that you won't tell him what I've become."

Mickey hesitated, but finally agreed. "I promise."

Vilixa poked her head out from behind the tree and both Riku and Mickey looked over. "R-Riku?" she called. "What...what did you just do?"

He rushed over and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Vilixa...you weren't supposed to see that. Please...go back to the mansion."

"Riku, why did you turn into Xehanort's Heartless?" she asked quietly. "What good can controlling the darkness bring you? Didn't you just tell me yesterday that it almost cost you your own life? And didn't it already cost me mine?"

"Vilixa..." Riku tried to explain. "I'm learning to control it. I'm doing my best to not let it take over my heart. You have to trust me."

"Vilixa?" Mickey questioned. "Oh, so you're the Nobody that Riku was tellin' me about."

She turned to the mouse and nodded. "Um...I assume so."

"I'm Mickey," he said, holding his hand out for her to shake. She took it and smiled.

"Well, I guess you already know my name."

Mickey nodded. "I have a few more things to deal with," Mickey told them both. "I'll be back, don't you worry. But in the meantime, try to help out Naminé with Sora. Alright?"

The two nodded and Mickey opened a portal, disappearing. Riku placed an arm around Vilixa's shoulders and led her back in the direction of the Old Mansion. "Come on," he said. "I don't want them to worry."

Back at the mansion, they were both greeted by someone they weren't expecting at all. It was Axel. It wasn't 'calm, cool and collected' Axel, though. It was more like 'frenzied, frantic and freaked out' Axel.

"What are you doing here?" Vilixa asked, as Axel rushed towards her. Riku summoned his weapon and Axel shot him a deadly glare.

"I'm not here to hurt her," he scoffed. "I have to talk to her."

Riku grunted. "Make it quick."

"We have a problem," Axel stated, directing his attention back to Vilixa.

"What is it?" she asked, trying to calm the redhead down.

"It's Roxas," he said, frantically looking into her violet eyes.

"Roxas?" she repeated. "What about Roxas?"

"Vee, he's gone missing."

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**Cliffhanger! /Jerk  
**

**Review for a free hug :)**


	19. The Clock Tower

**I really like this chapter. Dunno why.**

**Thank you to all my lovely reviewers! Hakari no Yami, Springborn, pandabearmusic, Island-style-girl and SheDreamsFiction. You're all the best.**

**I hope you like this update as much as I do! Don't forget to review at the end.**

**There are only like....two more chapters until it's over. So if you haven't reviewed yet, but you like the story, why not give a shoutout? :)**

**Enjoy & review!**

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Vilixa ran through Tram Common and up the steep hill towards the train station. There was only one place where she knew Roxas would run to at a time like this. Panting, she made her way to the station and looked up at the clock tower to see him sitting in his usual place, a bar of ice cream in his hand.

She teleported herself up into the clock tower and walked over to where Roxas sat. He looked over at her with sad eyes and went back to eating his ice cream.

"I found a 'Winner' stick about five weeks ago," he commented. "Apparently I win two free sea-salt ice creams, but...I can't finish all that by myself. I wanted to show Axel, but...I never got the chance."

"Roxas," Vilixa said, sitting next to her friend. "What are you doing here?"

"What about you?" he asked back. "If I recall correctly, you left too."

Vilixa bit her lip anxiously and swung her feet back and forth over the edge. "I know that I left, Roxas, but you have to understand. I didn't do it because I was just running, I did it because there's someone who needs my help." She sighed and said, "Axel's really worried about you, you know."

"He told me..." Roxas mumbled, his ice cream beginning to melt. "He told me that they'd destroy me. They won't bother turning me into a dusk, they'll just go straight to eliminating me. But I couldn't stay there another minute, Vee. Something isn't right."

"I don't want you to get hurt, Roxas," Vilixa said honestly. "I know you've been having strange thoughts and dreams lately. Haven't you?"

Roxas looked up at her, shocked. "How did you know? I never told--"

"It's Sora," she answered. "What you're remembering now are Sora's memories. He needs to wake up, Roxas. And to do that, you have to return to him."

"What?" Roxas declared, rising to his feet, his ice cream abandoned on the ground. "Who is this Sora person? I'm me, Vilixa. No one else!"

"I'm so sorry, Roxas," Vilixa said softly, summoning her Keyblade. "But you're not."

"What are you saying?" he screamed. "I'm me!" He summoned his own Keyblade in his fury and charged at Vilixa, who just managed to dodge his attack. She jumped off the ledge and ran down the wall of the clock tower, and did a flip and landed on the solid ground. It didn't take long for Roxas to do the same, and soon they were both in front of the train station, both fighting for their lives.

"Roxas, listen to me!" Vilixa shouted as Roxas' Keyblade barely missed her shoulder. "Please!"

"No!" he retorted, taking another swing at her. "You and Axel have both been keeping secrets from me!"

"It was for your own good," she responded hastily, Keyblades clashing. "How would you have reacted if we told you the truth?"

"You should have tried!" Roxas seethed, swinging down his Keyblade and striking Vilixa's left arm. She screamed out in pain and dropped to one knee, her arm going limp. She hesitated to look down at it. It was covered in blood and a deep gash from the top of her shoulder to the bottom of her elbow was exposed.

Roxas lowered his Keyblade and walked over to her. He looked terribly sad, as if he had regretted his actions, but at the same time, he carried the poise of a warrior, knowing that what he had done was necessary.

"Vee..." he said, lowering himself down to meet her eye level. "I'm sorry..."

She looked up at him with cloudy eyes and whispered, "Not as sorry as I am..."

Then she took her Keyblade and rammed it into Roxas' chest. His eyes went wide as light emerged from within him and surrounded him in a golden glow. Vilixa pulled the Keyblade out and Roxas was on all fours, gasping for air.

"Roxas?" her right hand reached out and gripped his shoulder. "Roxas, listen to me."

He looked up at her, wincing, and he let out a small cry as he gripped onto his head, memories rushing back. "What's happening to me?"

"Roxas, listen," Vilixa said sternly. "You have to come back with me to the Old Mansion. There's some people there...my friends...who can help you. Alright? Stay with me, Roxas."

He looked up at her and mumbled, "Livia?"

A single tear rolled down her cheek and she smiled. "Yeah, Sora. I'm here." Her left arm still limp, she wrapped her free arm around Roxas and hugged him close. She whispered softly, "Come on. Let's go."

She felt him nod and he mumbled, "Okay."

At the Old Mansion, Riku opened the door with a surprised look on his face. "Where's Axel?" Vilixa asked, blood dripping off her cloak and staining the green grass.

"Are you alright?" Riku demanded, ignoring Vilixa's question.

"I'm fine, where's Axel?" she repeated.

"He...he went back to The Castle That Never Was," he responded. "I see you found Roxas..."

Roxas's eyelids started to droop and he blacked out, causing him to lean all his weight up against Vilixa's side. She grimaced in pain and Riku lifted Roxas up and hoisted him over his shoulder and took him to one of the mansion's many bedrooms.

"You found him!" Naminé said with a smile. "That's good. We can start soon..."

Vilixa nodded. "Yeah," she agreed. "But you know, I'm going to miss him."

"You'll be able to see him again when you see Sora," she answered, placing a delicate hand on her good shoulder. "Now, let's get you fixed up."

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**Reviewing is the new black.... O_o**


	20. The Promise of a Heart

**Soooo I am a bit of a liar. Turns out that when I typed this story out, I counted the title for chapter 19 twice, and what I thought was a 21 chapter story is now a 22 chapter story!**

**In short, there is one more chapter than I thought there would be. Good news, right? Haha. What a goof I am.**

**Thank you so much for all the reviews! Shout outs to Island-style-girl, SpringBorn, pandabearmusic, Hakari no Yami, NinjaSheik, Kuro Neko to Kuro Bara and SheDreamsFiction. I love love love you all.**

**Okay! So two more chapters after this one _FOR REAL_. So get those reviews in while you can!**

**PS. I like this one. I think it's cute. :] Review review review!**

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Later, Vilixa closed the door to Roxas' room and stared down in contempt at her injured arm. She muttered a Cure spell over it, but it hadn't healed completely. There was a deep set scar where the cut had been and although she could easily move it again, it still brought a twinge of pain.

She walked back to her room and flopped down on the bed and just stared at the ceiling. She felt tired, but her mind wouldn't let her sleep. She was worried--worried for Roxas, for Axel, for Riku...it was strange though, that she could even feel worried, seeing as she didn't have a heart to worry with.

"Maybe I'm just remembering what it felt like to worry about someone," she reasoned with herself.

Vilixa sat up, too bored and her mind racing too fast to be able to sleep. The sun had already set and it was a starless night, clouds coming in fast. Rain was coming.

The mansion was dark. She walked out of her room and made her way down the hall to go check up on Roxas when she almost ran directly into Riku. She looked up at him and a blush crept across her cheeks and she looked down at the ground, too embarrassed to make eye contact.

"S-Sorry," she stuttered. "That was clumsy of me."

Looking down at her through his blindfold, Riku asked, "Do you have feelings for Axel?"

Vilixa was absolutely stunned. "Um..." she stammered, unsure of how to respond. "Bad phrasing maybe, but are you really asking what I think you're asking?"

"I think my question was pretty straight-forward," Riku said simply.

She cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Well, I don't exactly have a heart to feel with--"

"What if you did?" Riku interrupted. "Suppose you did have a heart. If you did, would you be in love with Axel?"

Her mouth was just slightly agape and she asked, "Why are you asking me this, Riku? Are you...jealous?"

Riku sighed. "You aren't answering my question."

"Well, no," she answered. "Axel and I are friends and that's all we'll ever me. He's like a brother. I don't know what I'd do if he was ever gone...but I'm not in love with him. I can't be, and even if I could be, it wouldn't happen."

"Why not?" Riku asked curiously.

"Because," she replied simply, "my heart's already been promised to someone else."

There was a comfortable silence that had settled between them and the corners of Riku's mouth twitched up in a small smile. Vilixa looked back down at the ground and cleared her throat.

"I should...um...check on Roxas," she said lamely, rushing past him to Roxas' room. She heard Riku's footsteps behind her but wouldn't look back. She felt a flutter in her chest that she couldn't explain and she was too afraid of what it was to even dare ask.

She gripped the doorknob in her gloved hand and turned it, pushing it open. She gasped when she found that the room was empty.

"Where is he?"

Riku stepped into the room and looked around. Roxas was gone. "He must've escaped," Riku cursed. "He must've used a portal to teleport himself somewhere." He gently massaged his temples with his fingers and muttered, "Now, the only question is, where could he have gone?" A strange look of realization dawned on Riku's face and he turned to leave the room. "I have to go find him and bring him back."

"But where are you going?" Vilixa inquired. "You know where he went?"

Riku stopped. "It's just a guess," he said truthfully, "but I think he went back to the castle. I have to go after him."

"I'm going with you," Vilixa insisted. Riku just shook his head.

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**Review please! Two more chapters left (I counted right!), you're not gonna get many more chances!**

**:)**

"If something happened to you again, I'd never forgive myself. Please...stay here and protect Sora while I'm gone," he implored. "I'm going to fight Roxas...and I might not win. But no matter the outcome, I want you to promise me that you won't tell Sora about what happened to me. And I hope you won't think any less of me."

Vilixa rested her hand gently against Riku's cheek and whispered, "That would be impossible." She then rose up on the tip of her toes and softly kissed Riku on the lips. Before he could register what was going on and react, she pulled away and lifted a small part of his blindfold so that she could see one of his eyes. "Just promise me that you'll be careful, and I'll promise you that I'll protect Sora."

He gave a small nod and she caught him in a tight hug. "Cross my heart," he grinned, holding her close.

"Don't taunt me just because you have one," she joked. "You have to go. Don't hurt him though, Riku. Please."

He kissed the top of her head gently and let her go. "Alright."

He opened a portal with his hand and walked through it, giving Vilixa a small wave as he disappeared.

Vilixa went back to her room and pulled the chair back up to the window and stared out at the clouds. Tears started to fall from the sky and started hitting her window pane with full force. Powerless, she just sat in her chair, staring outside as the rain fell down, waiting for them to return.


	21. The Limit

**Well, here it is, the second-last chapter.**

**Gotta say, I was a bit disappointed with the lack of reviews for chapter 20. Only 4? Chapter 19 had 7.**

**I kind of have this personal goal for this story to get to 100 reviews, and I'm pretty close right now. There's 79. So just 21 more reviews and then I'll get to 100! Problem is that there's only one more chapter left after this.**

**If there's ANYONE who likes this story and hasn't reviewed yet, why not do it now? The story is almost over and you really might as well. Help me reach my goal please! :)**

**Thank you to SpringBorn, SheDreamsFiction, Island-style-girl and pandabearmusic for reviewing.**

_**To everyone else, please help me get to 100! The next one is the end, get your two cents in now!**_

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The rain fell harder against the soft grass in the garden outside and Vilixa felt her eyes begin to droop. Before she could succumb to the lull of sleep, she was jerked back into consciousness by loud thumping sounds outside. She gulped and made her way to the front doors of the mansion and peeked outside, her jaw dropping.

There was a giant Nobody outside unlike one she'd ever seen before. It stood tall at about eight feet and it carried a giant claymore, dragging it against the ground as it approached her slowly. Staring at it with both horror and fascination, she wondered what it was doing there in the first place.

Realization dawned on her. "Claymore...it must be one of Saix's Nobodies," she growled. "How am I going to take this thing down all on my own? It's gigantic!" She summoned her Keyblade and gripped it tightly in both hands. "I guess I've just got to try."

She burst through the mansion doors and hurled herself at the giant Nobody, slashing at it with her weapon. The Nobody guarded against it with its giant claymore and swung it around haphazardly, just barely missing Vilixa's head.

She heard footsteps coming and saw Naminé and DiZ standing by the doorway.

"Vilixa, what's going on?" Naminé cried. "What's this thing doing here?"

"If I knew," Vilixa shouted back, the rain making it difficult for her to keep sure footing as she went in for another strike, "I wouldn't be trying to get rid of it!"

At that instant, the Nobody took its giant claymore in its hands and paused. Vilixa stared at it cautiously, trying to keep her guard up. The claymore started to glow blue with pent up energy and she let out a gasp. Before she could dodge or even react, the claymore swung around and hit her directly in the stomach, sending her flying into one of the stone columns that lined the front yard, shattering it into broken pieces of concrete.

Vilixa gasped for breath, trying in vain to get back up again. She tried to mutter a Cure spell over herself, but she was caught again in another blow by the giant Nobody that sent her flying once more into another concrete column, taking out the top chunk of it and spraying broken pieces all across the lawn.

Her left shoulder, which had already been injured, had gone limp again and Vilixa tried once again to cast a Cure spell on herself. She finally managed and regained a bit of her strength, but she felt as if she was on her last legs.

She wiped a trickle of blood that dripped down from her mouth and gripped her Keyblade in her right hand tightly. She felt a surge of energy rush through her body as her fiery red hair began to blow in every direction. Her Keyblade began to glow as a strange ring of light wrapped itself around her. She glared hard at the giant Nobody and in the blink of an eye, she charged at it, striking her Keyblade through its chest.

Light started pouring out of the hole she had pierced in the Nobody's chest until it consumed it completely, cracking its solid armor until it shattered. The Nobody's remains faded into black shreds that seemed to evaporate into thin air until nothing was left.

Vilixa dropped her Keyblade to the ground and then collapsed, her breathing ragged. Naminé and DiZ ran to her, carrying her inside.

"Will she be alright?" Naminé asked, frightened.

"I certainly hope so," DiZ sighed, looking down at the frail girl before him. "She was pushed to her limit. Let's hope she recovers."

They left her alone in her bed so that she could get some rest. As Naminé shut the door behind her, she saw a small smile form on Vilixa's lips as she whispered to no one, "I did it."

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"Why don't you quit?" Roxas screamed in frustration at Riku, who was slowly rising from the ground.

"Come on, Sora!" Riku taunted. "I thought you were stronger than that!"

Instinctively, Roxas countered, "Get real! Look at which one of us is winning!" He gasped, his hand flying up to his mouth, not believing his own words.

"So it's true," Riku smirked. "You really are his Nobody. I guess DiZ was right after all."

"What are you talking about?" Roxas growled. "I am me. Nobody else!" He lunged at Riku, striking him with both Keyblades directly in the chest. He fell to his knees, trying to regain his composure. "How many times do I have to beat you?"

"You've left me with no other choice," Riku said tensely.

"What?"

"I have to release the power in my heart," he said, removing the blindfold from his eyes. "The dark power that I've been holding back. Even...if it changes me forever."

Riku let out a loud scream as darkness came shooting up from the ground, surrounding him from all sides. Once the darkness cleared, Riku's body had changed into that of Xehanort's Heartless, with another large Heartless hovering behind him. He moved himself right in front of Roxas' surprised face and the Heartless grabbed him with its gargantuan hands, lifting him up off the ground and crushing him until he let go of his Keyblades and blacked out.

"I have accepted it," Riku said simply.

The Heartless let Roxas fall to the ground and disappeared. Riku pulled the hood over his head as he heard a portal opening behind him. DiZ walked through and examined the blond who was unconscious on the pavement.

"DiZ," Riku said, his voice deep and unfamiliar. "He could feel Sora."

"Oh, he told you how he 'felt', did he?" DiZ mused. "A Nobody cannot feel anything."

"If he had met Sora, things might have been different."

DiZ sighed. "Come. Let's bring him back. Vilixa needs you as well...she fought a hard battle against a Nobody sent to kill her."

"Is she alright?" he immediately asked.

"She's resting," he answered. "Come."

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**Did you read the memo? Review please!**

**Just 21 more reviews to 100!!! Don't make me withhold it until the reviews start coming in!  
**

**Next one is the end.**


	22. The End

**You guys are way too amazing for me to handle. 12 reviews for chapter 20! That means just _NINE more 'til we reach 100!_**

**My huge list of thank you's: SpringBorn, ExtremeRachey, NinjaSheik, BrooklynHiggans63, Selphiedonnaqueen, DarkFlame Alchemist, Island-style-girl, pandabearmusic, SheDreams Fiction, BraidedTissues, xxKHxxFan14 and phantombullets240  
**

**And to those who have been asking about there being a sequel, the answer iiiis: _YES!_ Sorry I've been so hush-hush about it. But come on--I can't have a story set during 358/2 Days and then not have a follow-up story for KH2. I'm so glad that some people even forgot that Xion existed. That was a huge relief because I didn't want it to seem as if there was a big hole in the plot or anything. Mission accomplished!**

**Expect the third and final chapter to this Kingdom Hearts trilogy once the review count has hit 100. So the faster you guys review, the sooner you'll get the sequel posted! And believe me, you'll wanna read it. It's gonna be good...I have 10 chapters done so far. Hah.**

**Anyway, I hope you like the ending. It broke my heart a little. _Read on and don't forget to review! It's your last chance to tell me whether or not you love or hate this story!_**

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Riku sat next to Vilixa's bed as she remained with her eyes closed, her chest rising and falling with the rhythmic pattern of her breathing. He reached out to touch her hand, but recoiled, realizing that she probably wouldn't have wanted to be touched by a monster such as himself.

He gasped slightly as her eyelids started to flutter and finally opened, her pupils adjusting to the light of day that poured in from her window. Turning her head to Riku, she smiled and said, "You had to do it, didn't you?"

He let out a sigh and nodded. "He was strong. I think you would have been proud of him."

She chuckled and answered, "I've always been proud of him. Proud of his strength and courage...but I'm going to miss him when he goes back to Sora."

Riku nodded underneath his hood and rose from his chair to leave.

"Riku," Vilixa called out. He turned to see her looking at him with a twinkle in her eyes. "You're still the same person on the inside. When I close my eyes, I see you. Nothing can change your heart. Don't forget that."

A small smile formed on Riku's lips and he said, "Thank you." Then he walked out of the room, gently closing the door behind him.

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Back in The Castle That Never Was, Axel was lying on his bed, hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling. "How did this happen to us?" he sighed to no one in particular. Looking over to the window, he saw Kingdom Hearts off in the distance and scoffed. "Was it really worth all this?"

He rose to his feet and walked over to the window, staring at the heart-shaped moon.

"Both of them...gone..." he muttered. He then looked down at something that caught his eye. It was a white envelope with his name scrawled across the front. Curious, he took it in his hands and opened it up, and pulled out an ice cream stick with the word 'Winner' printed in the wood.

Staring at it, he started to smile.

"Thank you, Roxas."

* * * * *

"What happens now?" Vilixa asked DiZ as he sat in his master control room facing the many monitors that seemed to overlook all of Twilight Town.

"I have created a virtual town," DiZ answered. "A version of Twilight Town that is identical to this one, except we have created the town's locals to have memories of Roxas, and he will have memories of them. They will coexist in perfect harmony until Sora's memories have been put back together."

Staring at one of the monitors, Vilixa saw that Roxas was just getting out of bed.

"_Another dream about him_," he mumbled, rubbing his temples gently. She saw him open the window to his bedroom and take in a breath of fresh air.

"So...this whole alternate Twilight Town...it's just a fantasy?" she asked quietly. "A fabricated lie?"

"When he returns to Sora, none of this will matter," DiZ answered. "We are just using this as a way to ease the transfer of Sora's memories back into Roxas first. Think of it as a series of data transfers."

"Oh," Vilixa nodded.

DiZ stood to leave. "Let's go," he said. "Leave him be for now. Naminé has her work cut out for her."

Vilixa stood frozen in place, staring at one of the monitors that showed Roxas running up to one of the back alleys where he and the other kids from Twilight Town would go to hang out.

"_Maybe today, we'll finally hit the beach_," he said, happiness in his voice.

"It's cruel," she mumbled, "making him believe that he is his own person, when really he's not. This illusion that he has a heart...you'll ruin him."

"We won't," DiZ countered, slight irritation in his voice. "Remember what I said, Vilixa. We are simply using this as a way to ease him back into returning to Sora. None of this will matter in a few days."

DiZ left the control room and went back up the stairs, presumably to check on Naminé's progress. Staring at the spot where he had been standing previously, Vilixa muttered, "But it matters right now..."

She sat down the master control chair and just watched as Roxas ran around with the locals, chatting eagerly and smiling...that genuine sense of happiness that one can only feel when they have a heart. While it made her sad that her best friend was trapped within a computer generated world, she knew deep down that of he could capture, even for a moment, true happiness, then it would all be worth it in the end.

She got up to leave, smiling down at the monitor where Roxas and his friends were all sitting together, eating sea-salt ice cream.

"Goodbye, Roxas," she said quietly, as she began to walk away.

"_Only six more days_," she heard Roxas' voice say softly in the distance, "_and then my summer vacation is over_."

**END**

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**Don't forget to read the memo. It's sort of crucially important.**

**Review, review, review! Just 9 more 'til 100 and the sequel! :)**

**PS. I love you all.  
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